Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Books

Octopus Escapes Again!

Octopus is very hungry. She peeks to the right. Peeks to the left. And dashes from her den into the deep, dark sea.

Will she eat today? Or be eaten?

When a turtle spies Octopus, Octopus squeezes into a shell. Threatened by an eel, Octopus releases her “secret weapon” – a cloud of dark ink.

What I like about this book: It’s a fun look at a predator on the hunt, but one who must also escape predation. Laurie Angus shows us many ways Octopus escapes.

I like the layered text: large text tells the story of Octopus’s journey. Smaller, italicized text goes into detail about the particular adaptation Octopus uses, from ink to jet propulsion to camouflage.

I LOVE the back matter. There is a section called “Explore More for Kids”, with more info about the Octopus, and tasty tidbits about her prey – and predators. Plus a warning to never wrestle with an Octopus. There’s even more stuff for teachers and parents: a story about Laurie’s first encounter with an octopus and some activities.